For those of you who haven’t noticed, Hillsborough Street is dying out. I can’t even count on one hand the number of Hillsborough businesses that have left or gone out of business in the last couple years. The attempt at Halloween on Hillsborough was a bust, and the most recent restaurant addition only carries cereal! That’s not exactly the bustling new Hillsborough Street we’re looking for. The only thing Ken Ball can keep off his list of things dying at N.C. State is the ever-persevering pizza places that make up the majority of Hillsborough. Students need to be heard, loud and clear, by the Raleigh City Council. If the roundabout plan is passed through the council and approved by the DOT, then we will have one roundabout at Logan Court and one at Horne Street. It will also condense traffic into two lanes, widen the sidewalks and install a 7-foot wide median. I don’t know about you, but I don’t enjoy risking my life to cross Hillsborough to get a bagel and a cup of coffee at Bruegger’s after I’ve already had to wait a couple minutes to cross in the first place. Campus needs to be pedestrian friendly – not traffic friendly. With all the congestion now, I can barely walk across the street, and I gave up trying to ride a Wolfline bus and actually make it to class a time long ago. The city has already paid engineers about $260,000 to draw up the plans, and it would be a waste to let it all go down the drain. The roundabouts will slow traffic and bring some much-needed life back into Hillsborough. Wouldn’t it be nice if weekend plans could actually include Hillsborough Street for a change? The crazy part is they are sitting on more than $3 million in bond money from 2005 that is allocated for this project while we sit around and watch Hillsborough Street get worse.
If one of the council members would sway his or her vote in favor of the plan, you and I could start looking forward to relaxing evenings on Hillsborough.
The most vocal of the opposing votes argues that the project will jam an important Raleigh pathway and take away from the parking. My question is, where do the students’ needs come in?
It seems like some members of the city council are forgetting that this is largely a campus street. Parking could be improved by building a parking deck on the NCSU land on Brooks Avenue without having to squashing the revitalization plan.
Raleigh has been too timid with Hillsborough Street. The Fayetteville Street mall and Glenwood South renovations have brought some major improvements to Raleigh, and now they need to focus on making Hillsborough just as inviting. It’s time for a change from drive-thru traffic to drive-to traffic.
Everyone is always complaining about how much better Franklin Street is; well, here’s our chance to compete. Hillsborough is already one of the most well-known streets in Raleigh; it just needs a face lift. The new plan will allow for more parking during the day, which will help to entice new businesses. As a rule of common sense, people draw more people.
It’s nice to see some students standing out in the Brickyard and passing out fliers and collecting signatures on petitions. Others are going to the city council meetings to advocate for the plan. I’ve cast my e-mail in with the many that council member Philip Isley has received from students in support of the plan. If more students would advocate for change, we could create a huge impact on the decision-making process.
I have a vision of a new Hillsborough Street – one that has large, clean sidewalks inviting pedestrians to linger and stroll. One that has restaurant choices that aren’t limited to pizza and cereal. One that doesn’t serve as a treacherous obstacle between students and businesses. And one that isn’t marked by big power lines covered in fliers.
I’m not sure if the new plan including the roundabouts will work, but I do know status quo isn’t working. The mayor is for the new plan, the University Park homeowners association is for it, and it’s time to show just how many students are for it. There needs to be a change, and by only starting out with two roundabouts, it will give everyo
E-mail Amy your plan for Hillsborough Street at viewpoint@technicianonline.com.